Flt Sgt Copping's P-40 From The Egyptian Desert

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

I dont expect an update from RAFM every five minutes and nor should you.

The more well connected one gets the less easy it is to divulge information on a forum such as this. Yes, there will be plenty of well connected people who read this forum, and who comment on it from time to time, but they will be as bound by confidentiality as the employees of the various organisations, so will not make comments in public.

Dont take 'I cant see anything happening' as 'Nothing is happening'.

Bruce

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11 years 9 months

Posts: 52

ok friends, my only concern about reports reaching us by the Egyptians and Bedouins: I'll be more specific in the short
by and thanks for attention

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14 years 5 months

Posts: 187

OK Bruce, all understood.

I'm just trying to get a handle on " attitude and policy " to this kind of event.

Member for

24 years 2 months

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Qattara,

For sure, whilst this forum is read by many of the people 'In the know', the only way to ensure your concerns get to the right people is to contact them direct.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 9,780

I wasn't aware that any preservation groups had an involvement in the recovery of human remains. Certainly groups have an interest in aircraft preservation but its a distinctly different subject.

Member for

11 years 9 months

Posts: 52

We have been told that an Egyptian travel agency, the same which organized trips to the P40 with prices much higher than normal market price, has obtained the authorization for the recovery of P40 and to transfer it to the museum of El Alamein, where it will be available to visitors without having to face long, uncomfortable and off-road journeys.
Up to here it goes more or less well although I would have a lot of questions to these authorities that have granted "exclusive" permission without even contacting other and more qualified suppliers (I'm talking about REAL COMPANIES specialized in recovery, with a due and well known experience), contacting other bidders.
This certainly would allow to obtain a better price after the acceptance of the technical proposal.
Again, up to now the squeal of pure economic interest against the historical value of an object, a situation or a story is a sound well known to those of us who are interested in history and to history has devoted a great part of their life.
Do not go over well if who has the duty to remember rather forget that over there, somewhere in 1942, died a British pilot of 24 years, whose remains have never been officially discovered.
A British pilot who to serve his country took off that day of 1942 but neither arrived to destination nor came back .
A guy that the authorities seem to have forgotten: better a name already written (by others) in the cemetery at El Alamein than huge headaches to organize, manage and carry out missions of research like what we of ARIDO have carried out (three times).......but these are just an example.
However, such things create more anger than discouragement and pain.
ARIDO will not stop the research, because of unfulfilled promises of support from the authorities (we have been also offered cooperation to expedite the customs entry, visa and travel to the location of the plane).
To the same authorities we provided without asking a penny all the documentation gathered during the first two missions to the P40.
Authorities but also representatives of one of the major museum have thanked ARIDO for our work and requested to keep duly informed on the progress of our research.
Is with this state of mind that ARIDO shortly will be organizing a further self-funded mission (the fourth) to find the remains of Flight Sergeant DC Copping starting from that very small shelter in the shade where we found in June some human remains, of which have been promptly informed the British and Egyptian authorities, but ...........
Human remains that whatever will be the 'outcome of the next mission ARIDO will bury building on the place a memorial stone with this wording WELL KNOWN TO GOD.
We hope that sometime in the future anybody will decide that is worth to see If these are the remains of DC Copping or...... his own country will prefer to forget him?
All this while others from their comfortable armchair in a controlled and AC environment will enjoy the piece of the pie that represents the recovery of P40, which will be delivered to them directly at home.

Time will tell where it finally ends up.

For now (as far as we know) it still sits in the Sahara.

Siag (presumably the company to whom Qatarra refers?) were telling us as long ago as 8 June that it was going to the museum at El Alamein. So this doesn't seem to be 'news' and, as far as we know, there hasn't been official confirmation of this; just Siag saying so.

We will just have to wait and see.

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18 years 11 months

Posts: 550

What state is the P40 in now? has it been continued to be "picked at"??

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,978

Thanks for that Andrew, though it's the remains I would like to see finally identified and buried with full honours.

Member for

13 years 2 months

Posts: 251

Sgt Coppings remains

I have emailed my MP concerning the fate of Sgt Copping he has written in his reply that he will take it up with Philip Hammond Secretary of State for Defence. I suggest if we are to get things moving forward that you should either email your MP (he will write back to you his proposed actions) or email Philip Hammond direct (although I don't know what sort filter he may have on non constituent emails) [email]hammondp@parliament.uk[/email]

Things have moved on quite a bit these last couple of weeks, and I am sure the story will 'out' very soon.

However, I think the 'news' story which seems to be from 6 August (the earlier link from AndrewC refers) is a little dated in content and accuracy.

Flt Sgt Copping, the most important element in this whole story, remains missing and is still somewhere in the desert. His P40, meanwhile, is not.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 2,841

Andy so where is it now? I hope its removal does not diminish the activity in finding the remains of Flt Sgt Copping.

Member for

11 years 9 months

Posts: 52

good news, i hope
i hope the wreck will be send in england to raf museum, or in another secure place, but not in alameen museum!! will be painted in yellow like others wrecks.....!!!
about our search will continue!
whe have written a letter to mr bennet (is correct?) about our dicovery (bones) but at today we don't recieve an answer and nobody know where is the place (gps point)
so if someone need more informations need contact us but at today total silence!!
regards

Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 525

A little birdie called me from a long way away to say that the P40 has been recovered with the help of some English speaking people, and is now safely in the hands of the El Alamein WW11 museum. It is awaiting a shortly significant date in the desert calendar, after which it may possibly end up travelling to a well known museum near London.

'I could't possibly comment on that statement Sir!!'

Member for

24 years 2 months

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:)

Member for

14 years 10 months

Posts: 347

A little birdie called me from a long way away to say that the P40 has been recovered with the help of some English speaking people, and is now safely in the hands of the El Alamein WW11 museum. It is awaiting a shortly significant date in the desert calendar, after which it may possibly end up travelling to a well known museum near London.

'I could't possibly comment on that statement Sir!!'

Great news once confirmed.

Member for

19 years 9 months

Posts: 1,907

Great news if correct.

Hopefully once the olympics are finished the UK Government and media can focus on more important and interesting things and make some progress and announcements on the search for the pilot and the future of the airframe.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Member for

17 years 8 months

Posts: 199

Wonderful news!

Looking forward to seeing the machine out of harm's way. Hopefully then, we'll hear of the continuing efforts to find Flt Sgt Copping.

Cheers,
Matt

Member for

18 years

Posts: 2,123

I seem not to be getting the e-mail alerts for this thread, so I am posting this to try to relaunch the system.
I sincerely hope the P-40 is now safe and secure, but there still remains the fate of the pilot. That must be an important consideration.

Member for

14 years 9 months

Posts: 699

While I can understand the concern about Flt Sgt Copping the probability of finding him must be zero and perhaps it's time to move on.

Regards